11 Million Vs the Fiscal Cliff

Posted by Rebuild the Dream5pt on December 21, 2012
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ARTSTRIKE on Dec 19 was bigger than we ever imagined. Not only did talented artists create powerful work exposing the misleading ideas dominating the budget debate... we were able to reach 11 million people with their work.

11 million! More on how it happened below, but the biggest "wow" moment for us was seeing things like this:

When artist Ernesto Yerena's piece was featured on CNN.com, we knew ARTSTRIKE was working.

Here's what happened on Wednesday:

More than 70 artists from across the nation submitted work -- some calling for fair taxes, others speaking out against cuts. There were poems, posters, art, and music. Check out artstrike.tumblr.com to see.

Celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Russell Simmons, Moby, and more tweeted ARTSTRIKE links to their millions of fans, as did progressive leaders like Bill McKibben.

More than 35 major national advocacy organizations shared images and promoted ARTSTRIKE to their supporters

Thousands of people shared links to pieces, posted designs on Facebook, mentioned ARTSTRIKE on Twitter, or helped spread the word by putting up posters in their community

When you add up all the fans, followers, likes, and views... Art that persuades, inspires, and spurs people to action made it in front of more than 11 million people

To put it in context: The New York Times daily circulation is only 1.5 million!ARTSTRIKE started when Rebuild the Dream Innovation Fund partnered with artist organizations CultureStrike and 5D Stories to change the conversation around the so-called "fiscal cliff." With big banks, big oil, and tax-dodging corporations setting the agenda, we knew statistics and arguments would only take us so far.

Thanks to dozens of extraordinary artists and tens of thousands of Rebuild the Dream Innovation Fund members and allies, we put a progressive message in front of millions on Wednesday. This won't be the last time we partner with culture-makers on projects like this. If you want to help make more of this possible, you can chip in here.